Facebook offers video solution for emerging markets

Social networking giant Facebook is to give small business owners the opportunity to take advantage of online video adverts through a lightweight video advert option, called Slideshow, which uses minimal data.

Through Slideshow, Facebook wants to reach everyone, across any level of connectivity using a new tool and ad format to help businesses big and small take advantage of video more easily while using less of a person’s data plan.

Slideshow is a video ad made from a series of still images. These images can be uploaded by the user or selected from a library of stock photos. It is meant to be used by small businesses that do not have the resources to create actual videos.

Recently, Facebook rolled out a feature that automatically starts playing videos on mobile and desktop as users scroll over them in their newsfeed.

In April, Facebook reported its users were watching four billion videos a day, compared with three billion in January and only one billion in September.